Quantum Leap: Vertical Horizon
by Heather Samantha Beckett
Summary: Sam leaps into a teenage girl, a student at Horizon, a school for troubled youth. Sam must prevent the girl from getting killed at the hands of her mother's new husband and must also prevent a tragic breakup. PG13 adult themes. Please review!
1. Vertigo

Quantum Leap:

Vertical Herizon

By Heather Samantha Beckett

Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Quantum Leap or Higher Ground or their characters, those solely belong to Don Belisario (Quantum Leap) and whoever wrote Higher Ground

Chapter 1: Vertigo

Author's Note: Please read or the first part of this story won't make sense to you.The beginning of this story starts off in the classic Quantum Leap tv show show style where the last few minuets of the last leap (episode) is recapped and transitions into the current leap (episode) In keeping with that style I have posted part of the last chapter of my first Quantum Leap crossover fanfic titled a Leap on Jump Street which crosses over Quantum Leap with the TV show 21 Jump Street. If you want to read this story it is located in the 21 Jump Street section.

It seemed to Sam like life time before Judy opened her eyes after being wheeled in her room as soon as the surgery to repair her esophogus was over. She looked around the room. She noticed 2 men she had never seen before sitting in chairs next to her bed staring at her.The last thing she knew she took a bullet for her partner. Was she dead? "Who are you 2?" she asked confused, fear etched in her pretty born eyes.

Sam and Al looked at each other. "Um I'm Hanson who did you expect?" asked Sam nervously.

"You aren't Hanson. What do you take me for a fool? and what's up with your friend and that sorry excuse for an outfit?" Judy said pointing to Al. Al had on a bright yellow zoot suit with a purple vest a yellow fedora topped his head. "And if you don't mind," Judy continued hotly, "I'd appriciate it if you put out that nasy cigar."

"Hey I resent that. This outfit is a real lady killer", said Al looking at Judy as if she knew nothing about fashion. He put out his cigar and put what was left of it in his suit pocket so he could save it for another time.

Sam rolled his eyes and ignored his holographic friend. "My name is Dr Sam Beckett and this is Admiral Al Calavicci. I run a project called Quantum Leap. I leap back and fourth in time and I leap into people's bodies. I know it sounds like invasions of the body snatchers," said Sam laughing nervously when he saw Judy's eyes widen. "When I leap into these people, people around them still see the person I leap into as themselves. It's like I'm a spirit invading a body and their spirit trades places with mine and they are transported into the future and all of my friends and colleagues see them as me."

"Why do you do this?" Judy asked sitting up wanting to hear more, she was intrigued.

"I'm there to put right what once went wrong."

"And what does ' "I don't know how to dress myself" ' do?" Judy asked pointing to Al.

Al rolled his eyes and gave Judy a half dirty half amused look.

"He comes to me I mean the person I leap into from the future in the form of a hologram to help me figure out what wrong to put right so I can leap," said Sam. "He is tuned into my brainwaves so only I can see him."

"So you are helping people making their lives better and they don't even know it?"

"Something like that," answered Sam.

"I'm all for that," said Judy suddenly getting up and walking over towards Sam with an I just realized something expression on her face. "So you leaped into Tom Hanson? I knew there was something off about him. How come I can see you as you and not as Tom then?"

Sam didn't answer for a moment. The truth of the matter was he hadn't the slightest idea how judy could see himand Al. This was a little too weird for him. He had never experienced something like this before. The closest thing he could think of was the one time he leaped into a cabby and a woman saw him as Sam and Al as Al and it turned out she was an angel. Sam's heart skipped a beat. Was Judy dead and now he was talking to her spirit? Had he botched up extracting the bullet form her esophagus and killed her? No it couldn't be the doctor told him his quick thinking saved her lif and quantum leaping didn't work like that he couldn't talk to dead people.

"This is freaky Sam," sid Al.

"You're telling me" said Judy who had just seen Al walk through Sam. "So tell me what wrong did you set right for me?"

Sam and Al exchanged nervous glances. "I can't really tell you. Its the laws of quantum pysics and the space time continuum," said Sam. He thought back to the many times he had wanted to tell people who he was but just couldn't. It agonized him at times.

"Does something happen to Tom? Is he going to be ok?" Judy asked suddenly. When neither Sam or Al answered her she continued, "I couldn't bear something happening to Tom and never getting to chance to tell him how I felt. I've loved him for a long time but I don't think he feels the same way so I've never said anything. He goes through so many girlfriends I'm afraid if we went out and things didn't work out our friendship would be ruined and I could never let that happen and now I come ot find out he hasn't been himself lately and he won't know how I feel about him or that I took a bullet for him if that doesn't show someone you love them I don't know what does."

For the first tim ein his life Sam felt suddenly stupid when he questioned Al if Judy felt the same way about Tom as Tom felt for Judy. She had taken a bullet for him how would he have not realized that She loved Tom? But if she loved Tom and Tom loved him why hadn't he leaped?

Tears started appearing in the comers of Al's eyes. "You know even though we can't tell you anything I will let you in on a little secrete. I lost the love of my life because she thought I had died in Vietnam. I was a prisoner of war and when I finally got to come back to the US I had found out my wife had moved on and married someone else. I was devastated she was the one and only woman I ever truly loved and it felt like someone took a claw and ripped out my heart. I never told her I was back She still thinks I'm dead. I let her live with that pain. Since I felt like I could never love again I ended up marrying and divorcing 8 woman. None of them could live up to Beth. I may be a sex obsessed pervert but just because I sleep with a lot of woman doesn't mean I'm a very loved man or a very happy man. It's very very sad. Right now I've been in a realtionship with a woman at my job who I think I'm actually in love with but we've had a friends with benefits realtionship for so long I don't know If I can come to bring myself to tell her how I really feel. If Tom thinks you are not worthy of him, and you are the only person he truly loves he will have a lot of meaningless relationships and go from one woman to another because none of them will live up to his expectations. They will never live up to you. It is obvious he is either A doesn't have those feelings for you or B he does and he's to scared to admit it. It is up to you to say something because if you never tell him how you feel you will spend your life wondering what if. Don't let that happen to you."

Before Judy could say anything Sam and Al saw her lift up from the ground and float back to her unconscious body lying in the bed and spirit and body reconnected.

"Ok now that was freaky," said Al shaking a bit.

"More creepy than freaky if you ask me," said Sam shaking as well.

Sam jerked his head and jumped up out of his seat suddenly. Al was nowhere to be found and Judy's bed was empty. She must not be back from surgery yet Sam thought. "Oh I have been draming. Thank goodness," Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He went in Judy's bathroom and looked in the mirror just to make sure. Tom's reflection stared back at him. Sam was never so happy to see someone elses reflection stare back him. Oh boy what a weird dream that was, thought Sam.

He retunred to his seat in Judy's room ans closed his eyes. 

"Tom is that you? Hello?" Sam was suddenly brought back to reality. He sat up suddenly and rushed to Judy's side "I'm here," he said stroking Judy's arm.

"What happened where am I?"

"You are at Mercy General", said the orderly who had wheeled her into her room. "You just came out of surgery."

Judy looked around in confusion.

"Bailey shot you," Sam clued her in.

Fear spread across Judy's face and Sam could feel the muscles in Judy's body tighten up.

"Relax, Relax. Don't worry. After he shot you I shot his leg and then I did my best to stop the bleeding in your neck and I knew the bullet was lodged in your esophagus. Your breaths were shallow you were in shock and then you didn't breath at all. I gave you mouth to mouth and put some breath in your lungs and then I had the kids get me a first aid kit and some medical supplies and I extracted the bullet from your esophagus and the paramedics arrived and took care of the rest. You just came out of surgery," Sam looked at Tom's watch. "about 5 hours ago. Bailey cmae clean and confessed to having affairs with minor and beating up those girls. He will be put away a long time and he won't be bothering you anymore." Sam Continued.

Judy started to cry. "You did that for me? You saved my life? I didn't even know you knew basic first aid let alone know enough to extract a bullet from me."

Sam stroked Judy's cheek wiping some tears away. "Don't cry Judy."

"I'm sorry I can't help it. It's just you have been there for me so much lately and I, I, I had the strangest dream just now. I don't remember that much of it except that some strangely dressed man shared a story with me of how he lost the love of his life and something about being married and divorced 8 times and being a sex obsessed pervert because since he lost the love of his life no one could live up to his lost love, and he sounded so unhappy and there was another guy who said you weren't really you. Funny huh?"

Sam gave Judy a look of you must be out of your mind but was really thinking, "So we both had the same dream?" The idea of that sent a shiver up Sam's spine.

"I don't want to loose the love of my life Tom. "

Sam knew who Judy was talking about and he hadn't leaped before when Judy expressed her feelings for Tom the first time because it had been a dream and Sam obviously knew Tom felt the same way because Al told him that Tom had told Al in the waiting room that he loved he was in love Judy but he didn't know of she felt the same way. Tom loved Judy and Judy loved Tom. So the question was, why was Sam still here? Sam knew something was missing. He suddenly knew what he had to do.

"I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," said Sam and thinking to himself I'm going out on a limb here I hope I am saying the right thing and not ruining Tom's love life. "Marry me," Sam finished and he felt that familiar tickle of electricity as he leapt out of love.

By now Dr Sam Beckett was quite used to the feeling of electricity flowing through his body. You would think that this would be quite painful, but in the blink of an eye the feeling of electricity flowing through his body subsides and feels to Sam like nothing more than a tickle. For the last 5 years Dr Sam Beckett has been leaping back in fourth in time putting right what once went wrong and touching many lives in the process. This process was known as quantum leaping. In 1995 Dr Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists in the middle of the desert to develop Project Quantum Leap. Sam was faced with loosing funding because no one believed his theory of life being like a piece of string, one end of the string represented a person's life the other end their death and in between both ends would be the person's lifespan. Sam theorized that if you were to ball up the string and different parts of the string were touching each other this would give a person the ability to leap back and fourth in their own lifetime. Sam was desperate to prove his theory, so he prematurely stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. With each leap Sam's memory becomes Swiss Cheese and he looses different parts of his memory while gaining new memories at the same time. About the only thing that stays the same for Sam with each leap is his ability to communicate with Admiral Al Calavicci, the projects observer. Since Al is living in the year 2000 and is at the projects site in the middle of the desert, he appears to Sam as a hologram, and since he is tuned into Sam's brainwaves, Sam is the only one who can see and hear him which gets Sam in some amusing situations.

Al, with the help of the super computer that Sam built named Ziggy, and Al's helper Gushie, he is able to help Sam figure out what wrong to put right in order for Sam to leap. Sam and Al hope that one of these leaps will bring Sam back to his own time. For now Sam is like a space traveling Lone ranger with Al as his Tonto. Sam never knows who he will leap into or what year it will be. He was once leaped into an astronaut Chimp. For the most part with the occasional leap into a woman, Sam gets used to being in another's body.

A feeling of dread over came Sam's body like going for a ride on the merry- go -round after eating too many chili corn dogs. He looked down and saw that he was at least 50 feet in the air. He also noticed that he was holding onto some kind of plastic hand hold and his feet were resting on two plastic foot holds that were attached to a wall he also was attached to a rope system that was strapped to his body. Even though it seemed like the rope system was holding him securely he still remained frozen. Sam was highly terrified of heights he had seen the movie Vertigo.

"Come on Jules what are you waiting for you?" Sam could hear someone say below. Sam looked down to see who was talking to him. He saw a group of young people looking up at him. Sam could tell they were teenagers and with them was a man and a woman who appeared to be in their early thirties.

"Come one quit being such a drama queen, Queenie," a thin girl with long straight blond hair said.

"Queenie?" Sam said to himself. He wished he had a mirror close by but he had a bad sinking feeling in his gut.

"Come om Juliette all you have to do is reach up and hit the bell," Sam could hear the man say below.

"Great I knew it," Sam sighed to himself. "I'm a girl and I think I'm a teenage girl. Oh boy."


	2. Carrying Deamons

By Heather Samantha Beckett

Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Quantum Leap or Higher Ground or their characters, those solely belong to Don Belisario (Quantum Leap) and whoever wrote Higher Ground

Chapter 2: Carrying Deamons

Sam mustered all his strength and and took one hand off the platic hand hold he was holding on to and slowly reached for the button he saw right above him and pushed it. He heard the kids below him cheer. Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He did it, he pushed the button then he felt the blood drain form his face all of the sudden. How was he going to get back down?

"Jules let go a d just drop," Sam heard a boy yell down below.

"I, I, I, can't," Sam stammered.

"What's the matter Queenie afraid you are going to break a nail?" The blonde girl sneered.

"Juliette you have done this many times before just let go and repel yourself back down it's not that hard," said the woman.

"Easy for you to say you aren't up here," Sam said under his breath. Sam rmembered when he leapt into a test pilot he had never felt so sick to his stomach as he did when he was up in that plane and didn't know how to fly it. This should be a peice of cake compared to that but to Sam it felt the same. His throat seemed to drop to his stomach as he felt a wave of nausia come over him. He closed his eyes and decided not to look down. he remebered that looking down only made things worse.

"Sam it's ok. Do what they say," Al said apearing out of no where and floating besides him. "I'll gude you down. Keep you eyes closed if that helps and I'll tell you step by step where to step down."

"Al I can't do it. You know how I am with heights. I feel like Im going to faint. Just tell me why I'm here," said Sam his voice quavering a bit.

"Sam let's get you down from here first then I'll talk to you," Al suggested.

"AL!" screamed Sam.

"Al who's Al? you feeling alright Jules?" The hispanic boy below Sam yelled.

"She's being a freak again," The blonde girl laughed.

"Great now not only am I a scardy cat I'm the freak who talks to himself," Sam sighed exhasperated.

"Ok ok guide me Al," Sam told his friend.

Sam closed his eyes and let Al talk him down step by step. Al would tell him where to step down cause Sam could not open his eyes.

"Juliette just let go and repel it's faster and it isn't that difficult," Sam heard the man below her say.

"You're wasting your breath Peter," the blonde girl said rolling her eyes. "She is in one of her pat attention to me I'm such a drama queen moods. And you dated her first?" The blonde said turning to face a tall boy with spikey blonde hair standing next to her.

The boy shrugged his shoulders and turned back to watch Sam climb down the wall.

Sam was not about to let go of the plastic hand holds and repel down the wall, he kept his eyes closed and climbed the whole way down with Al guiding each of his steps. When he made it the ground he swooned for a second and was about to fall down infront of everyone when the hispanic boy ran over to him and grabbed his shoulders to prevent him from faiting.

"Jules you ok? Are you feeling sick or something? You never have trouble on the wall," said the hispanic boy.

"Oh I was just uh having a case of vertigo I guess um," Sam cringed a little he didn't know the boy's name and he would look like even more of a freak if he acted like he didn't know these people.

"Augusto but they call him Auggie," Al said supplying Sam with the information he desperetly needed.

"Auggie," Sam continued.

"Hey quennie forget to barf this morning so you get sick on the wall and barf when you comeback down?" The blonde girl sneered as she brushed past Sam pretending to accidentally bump into him.

"Um barf?" Sam questioned.

The girl rolled her eyes and walked away with the blonde spikey haired boy.

"Um yea Sam. You have leapt into Juliette Waybourne 16. She is a student at Herizon which is where you are. Horizon is a wilderness type of school for troubled youth," Al said reding the inof off a multicolored handlink in he held in his hands. Juilette's mother sent her here for cutting herself and for buliema so I guess uh she really does barf up the meals. Her mother is a control freak and demanded Julette be the perfect daughter and pushed perfection the Juliette's breaking point."

Sam cringed. He couldn't think why anyone who want to cut themself and make themself barf up a meal. "Wow she''s messed up," said Sam.

"She isn't the only one," Said Al pointing to several kids. "Over there is Ezra Freidkin he's a habitual drug user mainly huffing, he is adopted and his parents went through a verynasty divorce and he was caught in the midle of the crossfire. When he get out of Horizon he has to decide who to live with. Over there you got Daisey Lipenowski who likes to be called Daisey Graves. She is a tarot reading gothic girl whose father physically abused her. She beat him to a pulp with a golf club and almost killed him. Her mother died a while back while Daisey was at Horizon. Over there you got Katherine Cabot. She has been here the longest 3 years. Her sister drowned right in front of her. The hispanic guy is Augusto Ciseros he was gang member and a drug user and dealer and the girl and guy who walked past you," Al said as he hung his head.

"What Al?" Sam said afraid to hear the answer.

"Thart was Shelby Merrick and Scott Barringer. Shelby's stepfather molested her and she ran away and lived on the streets for a long time protitiuting herself to survive before her mom found her and sent her to Horizon and Scott was a promising football star who got kicked off the team for drug use and his dad sent him him to Horizon. He told Shelby and Peter Scarborrow the director of Horizon how his stepmother would come into his room whenever there was a storm and would sleep with him. Oh the hot woman is one of the councelors here. her name is Sophie Becker. I think her and Peter are an iemI wonder if they've done the deed already."

Sam stared at Al in disbelief he didn't know what to say. "Al quit thinking with yuo you know what." Sam felt tears welling up at the corner of his eyes. How could any kids go through what all these kids went through? Sam fel like someone stabbed his heart. He chocked back his tears. "There's so much pain here Al. It's un real it's its's," Sam couldn't finish his sentence.

"Some of it is sick is what is is," Al finished Sam's statement.

Sam was taken aback he hadn't seen so much anger in Al's eyes before. "All thse low life parents and step parents need to strugn up by their toes."

"Al what am I here do do?" Sam asked solemly. He didn't really want to hear. He was afraid to hear what Al would say.

"What do you mean what are you here to do?" Peter asked Sam a quizzical expression of concern etched on his face.

"Oh I meant what am I supposed to do now," Sam asked Peter.

"Juliette you sure you are ok?"

"Yea why?" Sam lied. The fact was he wasn't ok. First he was leapt into a teenage girl. (Sam hated being leapt into females those were the worse leaps for Sam. He was onced leapt into a pregnant teenager now that was a challenging leap!). Then he heard about all the deamons these kids were carryingand it and it tore his heart to pieces, and he didn't know why he was here.

"You just seem out of sorts why don't you go with Sophie and get something to eat. Did you thorw up breakfast this morning?" Peter asked Sam.

Sam did his best not to cringe. "Um no. No I didn't."

"Well then go to class."

"Come on Jules," Auggie said grabbing Sam's hand.

Sam cringed.

"What's wrong?" Auggie asked Sam.

"Um nothing," Sam stammered.

"Oh yea Sam I forgot to tell you. Juliette and Auggie are an item as is Shelby and Scott," Al told Sam.

Oh you could have told me sooner," Sam hissed at Al.

"Told you what Jules?" Auggie asked Sam.

"Oh nothing," Sam said glaring at Al.

Al shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk besides Sam while Auggie had him by the hand walking him to class. He dare not let go because he didn't know where he was going and he couldn't let on that he didn't know where he was going but holding a teenage boys hand really crept him out. He knew Auggie saw Sam as Juliette but Sam knew even though if he looked in a mirror and Julette's refection stared back at it was still Sam's soul in Juliette's body and he was holding hands with a teenage boy.

"Ziggy says you are here to," Al said punching buttons into his multi colored handlink. The corlor drained from Al's face.

Sam's heart sank. What ever he was going to say he knew it wasn't going to be terrible.

"You here to make sure Juliette doesn't get killed."

"What Juliette gets killed?" Sam said a little too loudly.

"Of course Juliette gets killed. You've read Romeo and Juliette before," sais Auggie shanking his head in wonder at his girlfriend's odd behavior.

"Yes of course," Sam said quickly. "I was reviewing the play in my head. "

"Good save Sam," said Al.

"Well anyway ziggy says there is an 85 chance you are to here to prevent Juliette from getting killed by her mother's new husband when Juliette goes home on a three day leave. History says Juliette's body is found in the harbor and the autopsy rules she dies form multiple blows to the head and her mother comes clean and confesses that she came home from work one day and found her husband beating Juliette striking her herad multiple times with a baseball bat and when Juliette became unconcious she panicked and suggested her huband put her daughter in a bag and later that night they would dump the body bag into the harbor."

Sam face tuned green.

"Jules yuo don't look so hot," said Auggie.

"I got to use the bathroom, Sam thought fast.

"Over there," Auggie pointed to a nearby door.

Sam rushed to the bathroom and locked the door so no one could in and see him talking to himself. Sam looked in the mirror so he could see who he had leapt into. he saw Juliette's reflection staring back at him.

"She's sop beutiful Al why would her parents want to harm her like this. I just don't get it. It sickens me."

"It sickens me too Sam"

"I can't breath, Sam said out of breath. He turned the sink faucet on and splashed cold water on hs face. "Why is this bothering me so much? What deamon am I carrying?" Sam slapped his hands on the mirror in anger. "Damn this swiss cheese brain of mine."

"Well uh," Al stammered. Al didn't know what to say. He felt his friends pain but he knew Sam's rules for Quantum Physics. He wasn't allowed to supply Sam with information about his life no matter how swiss cheesed his brain was. It was the hardest thing about being Sam's partner. Seeing his friend loose his memory and not having the ability to fill him in on his missing life.

"It just seems so familiar," said Sam splashing more water on his face.Sam felt a wave of naussia and when he looked up in the mirror he swooned a bit. "My sister went through this Al. I remember."

Al was hoping Sam didn't remember anymore. usually he loved it when Sam, rememberd something but he didn't want Sam to remember this.

"She married that bastard who beat her everyday. I can't handel leaps like this Al."

"I know these leaps are tough on you Sam but you got into this business to save lives and if anyones life needs saving right now it's Juliette. You got to make sure you do whatever you can to not go on that 3 day leave."

"Like what Al?"

"Well I don't think kids have to go if they don't want to but they usually have to give a good reason.Up to this point Juliette has been psyched about going home. It's all she talks about so it would come across strangely that she changes her mind all of the sudden. What are you going to say? My hologram friend predicted my future and told me I was going to die?

Sam tunred to look at Al and he had an expression his face that told Al he had just had a sudden flash of brillence. "Well maybe not my hologram friend, but I know someone who might be able to help me predict a future."

Al hated when Sam came up with a hair brained scheme usually that was his deparment.


	3. Predictions

Quantum Leap:

Vertical Herizon

By Heather Samantha Beckett

Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Quantum Leap or Higher Ground or their characters, those solely belong to Don Belisario (Quantum Leap) and whoever wrote Higher Ground

Chapter 3: Predictions

After English class Sam looked all over the campus for the goth girl what was her name? Dee Dee, no that wasn't it. Diane? No that wasn't it either. When Al mentioned the name why did he suddenly think of the Dukes of Hazard and very short shorts? OH yea that was it, Daisey her name was Daisey. If he could only remember what she looked like. If she had looked gothic it would have been very easy to figure out but as Sam recalled she looked like any of the girls here at Horizon no distinguishing gothic features. Sam guessed they made her get rid of the goth look when she arrived at Horizon. There was something else Sam tried to remember. Al pointed out a boy that Daisey hung around with a lot and he had somewhat of a distinguished feature. Sam racked his brains to remember. The boy he recalled had very curly hair almost an afro but he was a white boy and he didn't have the kind of afro Sam would have remembered when he was in college in the 70's. Usually only black guys wore afros then. Here he was in the new millennium and a white guy had an afro. That shouldn't have been too weird to Sam, after all even white guys had really curly hair but the white guys he knew with really curly hair usually kept it very short to avoid the afro look. What was his name? He had kind of a different name. Was it Biblical? Sam remembered being reminded of a book in the Bible when that boy's name was mentioned to him by Al. Ezekiel? No Ezra? Yea that was it he had to find Ezra then he'd be able to find Daisey.

It just so happened that as Sam was looking for Ezra Al popped up out of nowhere like he usually did startling Sam half out of his wits. Sam didn't usually get startled by Al's sudden appearances but he had just happened to be deep in thought when Al suddenly popped into view.

"Penny for your thought," said the hologram.

Sam jumped nearly 2 feet. "Al how many times do I have to tell you, DON"T DO THAT?"

"Well excuuuuuse me," came the response. "I just thought you might be interested to know that your little gothic girlfriend is reading tarot cards right now in the Cliffhanger girl's dorm. You didn't think Id figure it out did you?"

"Figure what out?" Sam asked.

"Figure out your little scheme."

"Al I don't know what you are talking about," Sam said like he was hurt his friend would think so little of him.

"Sam don't give me that look. I know how your genius mind works. For once I think your plan will work out brilliantly."

Sam made a sudden face of disgust. He had just realized something. "Al do I really have to go to the girls' dorm?"

"Don't worry I already checked it out for you," Al said matter of factly.

Sam gave Al a very suspicious look.

"What I had to check for you didn't I?"

"Al you can never give up an an opportunity for a chance to maybe see females now it seems females of any age either naked or at least in their underwear. Al you are something else. These are teenager girls for goodness sake. Don't you have at least one ounce of respect for woman?"

Al had to think about that for a second.

"You have to think about that?" Sam said in mock disbelief.

Al hung his head

Sam rolled his eyes. "I guess you wouldn't be you if you did," Sam said after a while.

"Well for your information the girls are all dressed it is the middle of the day after all and why would they be in their pjs? It is safe for you the prudent prince to go in there and get your fortune read."

"Thanks Al. Um Al where is the girl's dorm?"

Al let out an excited giggle. "Right over here follow me."

Sam followed Al to a cabin that read Cliffhanger Girls.

Al started to follow Sam in. Sam stopped him. "Um Al I think I better do this alone."

"Oh fiddle sticks. Aw come on Sam. You are such a bore."

Sam continued to give Al a stern look of warning.

"Ok Ok I get the picture," Al said getting out his multicolored hand link, he pressed some buttons and out of nowhere a door suddenly appeared out of thin air and Al disappeared behind it.

Sam took a deep breath. "I'm going into a girl's dorm I haven't done that since MIT. OH boy."

Sam opened the door and walked in.

Sam saw the mean spirited blonde girl who was always calling him well Juliette Queenie sitting on a bed with a brown headed girl who had cards spread out on the bed. That must be Daisey Sam guessed because she was the one giving the blonde girl a prediction of the future

Sam slowly walked up to the bead took a deep breath and said in a quiet voice, "Ah Daisey can I talk to you for a minuet,"

Daisey rolled her eyes obviously annoyed that she was being interrupted and ignored Sam continuing to give Shelby the prediction.

"Well it seems like there is going to be an unpleasant change coming for you."

It was Shelby's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh please since when isn't my life an unpleasant change?"

"Sorry you asked," replied Daisey. "If you didn't want to know you shouldn't have had your cards read."

"I know," said Shelby "But I seem to have a fascination with finding out the inevitable. I guess I am hoping one of theses days you will read me a good fortune." Shelby turned to face Sam giving him a dirty look. "What do you want?"

"I was wanting Daisey to read me my fortune," said Sam quietly.

Shelby and Daisey exchanged shocked glances.

"Since when do you believe in tarot card reading?" Daisey said looking Sam up and down making sure he was being serious.

"She probably wants to know if her and Auggie are going to be doing it anytime soon," Shelby mockingly laughed.

A sudden chill went up Sam's spine. That thought just creeped him out.

Daisey sensed something was bothering Sam."Juliette you have a bad feeling don't you? I can always tell. It's like I almost have the gift of mind reading," said Daisey shuffling the tarot cards.

"Yes" Sam replied. "I need you to give me a reading because I have a very bad feeling something bad is going to happen to me." Sam knew this wasn't because he believed in having his fortune read and the outcome being bad. Sam was a scientist after all and he didn't believe in all that mumbo jumbo as he put it. Al on the other hand did believe in the supernatural and always drove Sam crazy because he just couldn't accept the fact that Sam would always find a rational scientific explanation for everything. No Sam had something else in mind when he came into the girls dorm and asked Daisey to give him a prediction for the future.

"OH please," said Shelby rolling her eyes. "This out to be good."

Daisey gave Shelby a disapproving finger. She ignored the comment she knew when someone had a bad feeling she needed to take them seriously even if that person was Juliette who always in the past made fun of Daisey's fascination with the supernatural. Daisey spread out the cards face down on the bed. She ran her fingers over each of them 2 or 3 times before settling on one card. She flipped it over and gave Sam a very concerned look.

"What?" Said Sam, "I can handle it."

"You got the death card."


	4. Waterworks

Quantum Leap:

Vertical Herizon

By Heather Samantha Beckett

Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of Quantum Leap or Higher Ground or their characters, those solely belong to Don Belisario (Quantum Leap) and whoever wrote Higher Ground

Chapter 4: Waterworks

"OH thank you, you don't know what this means to me," said Sam jumping up quickly.

"Dude you got the death card," Shelby said looking at Sam as if he were insane. She wasn't the only one.

"You just had to do it didn't you?" Daisey said getting up and facing Sam her faces inches away from his and she had a look of disgust on her face.

"Do what?" Sam asked innocently.

"You just had to come here pretending you were interested in having your cards read and now you are acting like what I do is just a childish game and you are making fun of me. Well I don't appreciate it."

"No you don't understand and I'm sorry butI really can't explain it. Actually you are going to be a big help. Trust me. What you've done for me is for the greater good," Sam said trying to sound convincing. Sam was half telling the truth. True his plan was coming along quite nicely and Daisey had something to do with that but he didn't believe for a minuet that the catastrophe to come could be predicted by Tarot cards.

"The greater good?" Shelby asked snootily.

"I'm sorry I can't explain it. I wish I could but I can't. Just trust me. You are helping me out a great deal. Gotta run," Sam darted out the door as quickly as possible.

"Is it just me or has Juliette gone off the deep end?" Daisey asked herself out loud.

"You think?" Shelby said rolling her eyes.

"I wonder what she's up to."

"It's probably some Queenie atention getting scheme," said Shelby lying down as if she were exhasperated from trying to fathom the world of Juliette.

Sam ran past Auggie so fast he didn't hear the boy calling after him. Sam didn't have time to past go or collect 200 dollars he needed to get to Peter Scarbrow as fast as he could.

Al guided Sam through Horizon's main building and pointed to a door that said Peter Scarbrow Director. Sam banged on the door repeatedly.

Peter opened the door and saw the out of breath Sam.

"Juliette what's wrong?" Peter asked sounding very concerned.

"I ah I ah I I I," Sam panted.

"Sam calm down and take deep breaths," Al instructed.

"I'm trying to," Sam answered.

"Trying to to what?" Peter asked sounding confused. "Come in and have a seat," Peter said leading Sam into his office and closing the door behind him, he pointed to a seat for Sam to sit in.

Sam sat down and took a minuet to catch his breath when he was calm and collected he was ready to talk to Peter.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Peter asked Sam.

"Yes," Sam answered. "You know how I am supposed to go home on leave?"

"Yes," answered Peter, "what about it?"

"I don't think I should go. In fact I don't want to go."

Peter gave Sam a strange look. "It's all you been talking about for two weeks what's mad you change your mind.?"

"I just had Daisey read my tarot cards and I got the death card," Sam explained thinking that would be good enough reason to keep Juliette from having to go home and this is what he had been planning but by the look on Peter's face he knew he had said the wrong thing. Sam figured he must have just finked out Daisey and more than likely Daisey wasn't allowed to have Tarot cards. "Please don't say anything to Daisey or she will think I was a fink," Sam pleaded.

"I am not going to say anything she could be doing worse things but I just don't understand it. I never took you for a Tarot card believer," said Peter still giving Sam a look like he didn't believe Sam.

"Usually I'm not but I have had a bad feeling for a few days now and that was just icing on the cake. Please don't make me go."

"Sound really upset like going would be unbearable for you," suggested Al. "Sound real scared well you should be scared because if you go on that trip you may end up in a body bag."

"Don't you think I know that Al I'm doing the best I can," Sam hissed.

"What was that?" Peter asked suspiciously giving Sam a strange look and looking around the room for whoever Sam was supposedly talking to.

"Please I can't go. You know my mother. I'm just not comfortable with her I don't want her to hurt me. Please please please don't make me go. You just can't you just can't," Sam cried.

"Use tears Sam. Tears always work. How about some shaking. Shaking is good. Act crazy, they are used to crazy around here. Turn on the waterworks" said Al.

Sam shook a little and started to cry actually he sobbed. Sam used to do theater when he was in college and he was a very good actor, he could put on the waterworks with ease. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die."

"Oh Sam that's beautiful. What a performance. Oscar here we come," Al laughed.

"Juliette you are not going to die," said Peter trying to sound comforting but firm at the same time, he got up and put his arm around Sam and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Just please don't make me go Peter. You don't know what will happen to me if I go. I mean you or Sophie won't be around and I just wouldn't feel safe. Horizon is my ah my ah," Sam tried to think. "Safety zone, safe haven," Sam said after a while.

"How about if I call your Mom and ask her to come see you here? How would that be? I mean you need to have your mom in your life while you are here and you can't cut her off completely because when you leave Horizon you will be going home and you need to work on your relationship with her while you are here and work out the kinks."

Sam looked over at Al.

Al punched in the buttons on his multi colored hand link. "No good Sam. Ziggy says that Juliette still dies but this time she is found on the bottom of a mountain near Horizon."

"Al what can I do? I gotta compromise with this guy," Sam said pretending to cough and cupped his mouth to talk to Al.

"I don't know Sam this is your leap I'm just the holographic informant."

"OK Peter that's fine anything but going home is fine with me."

"OK I'll make the call today and let you know what your mom said. Now get to lunch," Peter said escorting Sam out of the door.

Peter didn't have to ask Sam twice he was more than happy to leave and head for the cafeteria, he was starving. Sam had read the cafeteria menu earlier and rembered that he would be having fried chicken and mashed potatoes so he walked even faster. Too bad Al was a hologram he didn't know what he was missing. Sam couldn't remember the last time when he had fried chicked or mashed potatoes. Leaping around swiss cheesed his brain so he couldn't remember much from leap to leap, he was sure he ate well because he didn't feel like he was wasting away. Sam hoped that the food wouldn't be like normal school cafeteria muck. The thought made him shiver.

When Sam arrived in the cafeteria he noticed that Scott and Shebly were in the middle of a heated argument.

Wonder what that's all about, Sam thought to himself.


End file.
